Roland
Interpol Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hey, my best friend's a butcher, he has sixteen knives
He carries them all over the town
At least he tries oh look it stopped snowing
My best friend's from Poland and oh he has a beard
But they caught him with his case in a public place
That is what we had feared

He severed segments and secretly liked that
He always took the time to speak with me I liked him for that
He severed segments and secretly liked that
He always took the time
He always took the time

C'mon now pussycat

My best friend's a butcher, he has sixteen knives
He carries them all over the town
At least he tries oh look it stopped snowing
And my best friend's from Poland and oh he has a beard
But they caught him with his case in a public place
That is what we had feared

He severed segments and secretly liked that
He always took the time to speak with me I liked him for that
He severed segments and secretly liked that




He was growing on me
He was growing on me

Overall Meaning

The song "Roland" by Interpol is a tale of two friends, one of whom is a butcher with sixteen knives. The lyrics describe how the butcher carries his knives around "all over town" and how the singer has always liked him for "always taking the time" to speak with him. The song takes a dark turn when the singer reveals that the butcher has been caught with his knives in a public place, something they had feared would happen. The singer also reveals that the butcher enjoys "severing segments" and secretly likes it, a gruesome detail that adds to the ominous tone of the song.


The lyrics of "Roland" are open to interpretation, but it seems to be a commentary on violence and the potential for it in unpredictable places. The butcher, with his arsenal of knives, is a symbol of this potential for violence, and the fact that he was caught in a public place suggests that no one is truly safe from it. The line "he was growing on me" seems to suggest that the singer is conflicted about his feelings for the butcher, as he is both a friend and potentially dangerous.


Overall, "Roland" is a haunting song that creates a sense of unease with its stark lyrics and foreboding tone.


Line by Line Meaning

Hey, my best friend's a butcher, he has sixteen knives
The singer's best friend is a professional butcher and owns sixteen different knives for various purposes.


He carries them all over the town
The butcher friend takes his knives everywhere he goes in the town.


At least he tries oh look it stopped snowing
The singer changes the topic to the weather while commenting on the butcher friend's habit of carrying knives.


My best friend's from Poland and oh he has a beard
The artist mentions another characteristic of the butcher friend, who is originally from Poland and has a beard.


But they caught him with his case in a public place
The butcher friend got caught carrying his knife case in a public area, possibly facing legal issues.


That is what we had feared
The singer and other acquaintances were worried that the butcher friend's knife carrying habit would land him into trouble someday.


He severed segments and secretly liked that
The butcher friend enjoyed cutting meat into separate parts and keeping it a secret, suggesting a possible disturbing behavior.


He always took the time to speak with me I liked him for that
Despite his odd and possibly unsettling tendencies, the butcher friend was always willing to talk to the artist and make time for them, earning some level of affection.


He was growing on me
The artist is developing a deeper connection and attachment to the butcher friend, despite the potential red flags.




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Carlos Dengler, Daniel Kessler, Paul Banks

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found

More Versions